Episode Details

Check out the UK's most trusted climate action platform, Ecologi at: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth

This is a slightly different ep. The first ½ is a more traditional podcast chat. But the 2nd ½ is me putting Phil to the test by roleplaying as 4 different people: A secondary school teacher, a middle-class retiree, a young professional and a right-wing politician

Phil Korbel is the co-founder of the Carbon Literacy Project, a Manchester-based charity that has trained over 153,000 people across 50 countries in climate action. Starting from a shared desk with no salary and a big idea, Phil and his co-founder Dave Coleman have built one of the most powerful climate education movements in the world - reaching everyone from security guards to IPCC scientists, wedding planners to funeral directors.

We cover:

• Why recycling is near the bottom of the list, and what actually moves the needle

• The Carbon Literacy formula: how does acting on climate help you thrive in your specific role?

• Why polar bears are banned from Phil's training (and what that says about climate communication)

• The emotional structure of a carbon literacy day and why doom without agency is dangerous

• How 153,000 people got trained mostly through word of mouth

• Why professional advisors - lawyers, accountants, financial advisors - need to understand climate as a core competency

• The "Burt the security guard" story that perfectly captures what a culture shift actually looks like

• How to handle a denier in the room without letting them suck up all the oxygen

• What Phil says to a right-wing politician who thinks clean energy means living in caves

• Why anger about climate might be your most useful tool - if you channel it right

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This podcast is sponsored by Ecologi, the UK's most trusted climate action platform. They help businesses reduce their emissions, restore our planet and report their progress for every step of their climate journey. Check them out here:

https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth

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Find out more about the Carbon Literacy Project and get trained at carbonliteracy.com

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Chapters

00:00 Why Phil banned polar bears from carbon literacy training

03:30 What is the Carbon Literacy Project?

09:30 Why does ‘relevance’ matter?

12:40 From a shared desk with no salary to 153,000 people trained

15:42 Why they gave away the IP and became a charity

17:44 What caused the hockey stick growth

20:08 Do you work with high-emitting companies?

22:26 How to handle a denier in the room

25:50 Why doom without agency is dangerous

28:41 Phil’s approach to skeptics

37:0